Category: Honolulu

When it comes to travel insurance, a lot of people tend to have many questions especially when it comes to how they work and how one can be able to get the best option. For you to ensure that you are going to be getting good value for your money, it is always best to have an idea of what you are looking at first. Take the time to also have a look at the different options that have been made available to you before anything else.

Is travel insurance important?

The most unfortunate thing is that travel is one of those things that most people tend to think that they do not need to have. What most people do not understand is just how important travel insurance is. When you think about traveling, it has been found to be quite expensive especially if you are going to a different continent. When you have the right travel insurance, you are going to be covered for the things that are non-refundable like your train ticket, your plane ticket, your tours, rental cars, hotels and so much more. You will also have some form of compensation in the event that your bags end up getting lost as you are traveling. Also, it is going to come in handy if you want to have your flight canceled or if you cannot be able to travel as a result of this.

Also, have you ever wondered what would happen to you if you had a medical emergency? Well, the right travel insurance cover will be able to cover you for hospital stays, broken bones, medical evacuations, and ambulance rides. You just need to make sure that you are getting the right thing before you go ahead and make the final decision.

What is normally covered when it comes to travel insurance policies?

When you are looking at the different that are available in the market, you should know that most of them tend to cover you for the most basic of things like emergency evacuation if need be, the interruption or cancellation of your trip, property damage or theft, lost luggage and so much more. Another important thing that you need to keep in mind always is that the kind of compensation that you are going to get differs greatly since each of the plans are different. This is why you need to carefully have a look at what is been offered to you before you go ahead and make a choice. Always make sure that you are getting something that is within your budget as well as something that is going to work best with you.

Nowadays, many people have started making use of natural stone flooring tiles. These stones give a very beautiful effect to the home and property which is why they are becoming very common. These stones are normally made out of material that is slabbed, quarried, cut to size and finished. Some of the most common natural flooring tiles that are used include marble, granite, slate, limestone and quartz countertops Abbotsford by TileMart They also come with different characteristics and functions depending on where you want to use the stone for.

Below are the type of natural flooring tiles explained.

Marble

This is a type of natural stone that is made out of the metamorphic rock which has a very rich vining and is also available in a number of different colors. Compared to granite, marble has been found to be more porous and is not the best flooring tile to make use of in your kitchen. If it is the only option you have for your kitchen, then it can be sealed and honed on a regular basis so that you are able to make sure that they are going to give you good service.

Granite

This is a natural stone which is known to be an igneous rock which is very hard and dense. It normally has a very distinctive appearance which is normally due to the speckled minerals that are usually found within the hard rock. It can also be found in very many different colors that are unique. This type of natural stone is very impressive and is the best choice for you when you are choosing a flooring tile for your kitchen counter top Once this stone is polished, it is able to resist any kind of scratching.

Limestone

This natural stone is known to be a sedimentary rock which offers its users an earthy appearance that is in both dark and light shades. The surface of Dal Tile stone can be polished and textured to give it an appealing look. Compared to marble and granite, this type of natural stone is less dense. However, it can easily be stained which also makes it very prone to scratching. Due to this, it is not the best stone to make use of in high-traffic flooring areas and also your kitchen.

Travertine

This is another type of limestone which is able to give its users a kind of crystallized appearance which comes with an earthy tone kind of look. It has a natural surface that has pivots and pitting and is also known to be porous and soft. Since it can easily get stained and scratched, it is not recommended to be used as a type of kitchen flooring tiles.

A dumpster rental can be expensive especially when you need it during the high season. Here are some of how you can get a discount on a dumpster rental when you need one.

Compare prices – you should always ensure that you compare prices of the companies in your local area. Ensure that you have quotes from at least three different companies before you can decide to hire. To get the best deal, you need to put two things into consideration for the duration of hire remaining constant. One is the size of the dumpster and the extra weight allowed. Then you compare that with the prices against each. In most cases, a company that allows you more extra weight will have given you a better deal. This means that when you exceed that weight, they will not charge you anything extra.

Use local companies – the most local companies in your region will always give you the best bargain. Most people are tempted to go to the big renowned companies that they have seen on billboards or other fancy advertisements. Such companies will always charge you more. The best deals are available to the local companies.

Hire directly – avoid hiring a contact Nashville Dumpster Rentals through a broker. Some brokers masquerade as local companies while they are not. Ensure that you get to know the physical location of the company before you engage their services. When you get the services through a broker, they will impose a fee of 15% above what you would have paid.

Look for deals online – most garbage can rental companies have an online presence on social media, or they could have their websites. It is recommended that you check online for deals that the companies have on their online platforms. There are brokers available online and companies that have advertised themselves to be better placed when a search is done online. It means therefore that you should navigate the online world with a lot of care also.

Sharing the dumpster with a neighbor – you can agree with your neighbor to have the general cleaning projects at the same time so that you can share the dumpster and therefore the costs. This means that you will have to spend just half of what you would have spent If you went at it alone.

Early returns – most Nashville dumpster rentals charge a fixed price for the duration agreed on. However when in the high season, a company might give you a discount if you return the dumpster sooner than the agreed period so that they can rent it out to others.

For homeowners keeping the cost of running as low as possible is their aim. Most of the expenses in the house come from energy expenses. This is regarding the energy used in running the appliances in the house and lighting. One of the best ways to reduce the bills in the house is by use of solar energy. Solar energy is available the whole year round and can be tapped easily and used in the house. Solar panels are mostly installed on the roof to ensure that they capture as much solar energy as possible.

There are two options that the homeowners have for the installation of solar panels on their house. First, they can have the solar panels installed on their roof. These are the usual solar panels that are placed on the roof to collect the solar energy that will be converted to electric energy. This is the most common and the affordable option for the homeowners.

The other option that homeowners have is the integrated photovoltaic cells. These are integrated into the roofing ad, and so they are not panels placed on the roof. This is an expensive installation but the results are better as the cells can collect more solar energy and the damage to them is minimal since they are spread all over the roof. The roof itself acts as the solar panel in this option.

No, they do not affect the warranty. However, the panels need to be installed by a licensed Coquitlam roofing contractor, and it might be recommended to inform the warrantor before installing the solar panels as it might be required in the contract. The manufacturers might have some recommendations on how much weight the roof should take and therefore it is important when they are informed so that they can guide to avoid voiding the warranty.

Solar panels get better year in, year out and therefore the future as it is now should be very bright. Constant research for improvement of the solar panels is undergoing all over the world. In fact, some people say they have not installed solar panels on their roof as of now because they do not want to invest in obsolete technology as of now.

However without the timeline on when the breakthrough will come it might be time to invest in Mountain West Roofing from Vancouver solar panels since they come with a warranty of over 20 years recouping the investment is a given thing. Soon solar panels might become highly effective and efficient making it easy to have solar energy in the house regardless the season or time of day.

You should always be able to foresee the safety of your possessions before you make any decision. That is because any wrong move could leave you suffering deeply. You have a complete home filled with valuable possessions. Cleaning then and ensuring that the environment is conducive remains a necessity. You can do the cleaning, but a professional cleaner appears more convenient and efficient. Before you hire the cleaning service company, think of the safety of your possessions. That way, you will use the third eye to detect which brand is best to handle the cleaning task.

As a matter of fact, accidents are always around the corner. They are willing to strike any time even when you are least prepared. The problem with accidents is that they always result in losses, damages, and other costly issues. Bonded home cleaning services come as a solution to all the troubles, see more here

It?s all about insurance here. Cleaning service companies that are bonded means that they go the extra mile to mind the status of the workers as well as the clients. In the event of accidents, the insurance cover takes over with compensations. As a matter of fact, you are not accident immune. The professional cleaners may be responsible enough, but an accident never asks permission before it happens. In such unfortunate events, then you are safe. This eliminates unnecessary disputes that ruin the client cleaner relationships. With a protected cleaning service, you are also safe. It?s a wise move to work with bonded cleaning services.

Every professional cleaner requires being licensed to be able to operate in the marketplace. But what is required for one to get the license? First, it proves of competence which has to do with the level of training and second is the insurance/ bonds cover. Without these, you can never get a license. It does make sense why these are necessities. A cleaner could get injured while cleaning your home. Without the bonds, the law may require you to take care of the medical bills. With the bonds, however, it?s a win-win situation. You walk away without charges.

Two main types of bonds are available. These are fidelity and surety bonds. With fidelity bonds, you are sure that any loss is taken care of. You may lose certain valuables in case the employees turn out to be thieves. The company will compensate those. With surety bonds, you have covered about 100% satisfaction. You hired the cleaning service to do the job from start to finish. In case a is not able to complete the task, then the company brings another one to complete the remaining bit.

Italian is one of the most interesting languages in the world. It is also very popular and learning it can help you expand your career in Italy or any other job position that may require someone who is fluent in Italian. There are many language schools that teach this dialect, and they are the best way to go as they give you the basics of the language and a good foundation that helps you advance and grasp the language perfectly. So why go to an Italian language school?

Lessons are designed to fit every student’s needs. They will handle every one including beginners. Just like other professional tutors, they start by establishing a friendly relationship with students, and everything else falls into place. This is only possible when a tutor can communicate and enable his or her students participate in class without fear of reprimand.

A language class should have a good number of learn Bahasa Indonesia students. Overcrowded classes not efficient for students and you may not get enough attention. There are Italian language classes of between six and ten students or smaller ones of not more than five students. You chose what will suit your needs perfectly and will make you feel comfortable. Avoid a class that will give you external pressures as you study the language course.

An Italian language course does not take more than a month. Most of the Singapore courses are 45 hours, and within that time you will have learned enough. You get a pre-course placement interview, which determines the level where you will start. This usually important if the student knows some Italian. If you do not know anything about the language, you are simply given a chance to start as a beginner.

Students need to participate in various activities when learning a new language. This helps to promote their level of understanding of the language and the culture of the natives. If you do not have a chance to study in Italy, find a school that teaches more than the language and have different activities and participating Italian cultural events.

Though you may be interested in learning Italian fast, be sure to give yourself a good break every day. Study for a few hours and by the end of the time given for the course, you will feel confident to face the world speaking fluent Italian.

Learn other people languages by enrolling in language schools. Within a short time, you will speak like a native Italian.

Owing to a large number of people opting the fork lifting way, there is need to certify and regulate the field to bring order in the business. It is, therefore, a requirement for all the people thinking of opting the forklift business. The field provides so many people with the job opportunities and is growing at a good level owing to the number of goods that are carried daily. Many people see fork lifting certification as a limitation of their freedom, which is misplaced. This article, therefore, will delve on the importance you get, in case you get the forklift certification.

Forklift certification involves making sure that all the fork lifting personnel have the necessary abilities to carry out the job. Therefore, certification of the forklift personnel, therefore, ensures that the people operating the forklift are very qualified, this subsequently means that they know what they are doing and thus the level of possibility of the accidents to occur is minimized. This, in turn, helps the employer against suffering great losses because of the accidents and in turn maximizes the profits of his or her business. The losses can also be caused by lawsuits in case the forklift causes injuries or damage to other people.

Once have been certified by the relevant bodies as a forklift operator, your stature in the job market rises. This certification means that you are a fully-qualified worker who can be trusted with the fork lifter. This, therefore, makes you the most entrusted fork lifter in the business, this, therefore, means that your employer may even give you a pay rise as you are above the other workers who have not been certified. The certification also meant that you have the necessary knowledge on the operation of the fork lifter. This, therefore, increases your ranking in the fork lifting workers ranking. Click here for more on forklift certification OSHA forklift training license

Forklifting certification is universal; it is not limited to the location or country. Once you have been certified by the relevant bodies, it means that you can work anywhere in the country and beyond. This, therefore, gives you an upper hand as when a job opportunity has occurred you can take it without many requirements. This, in turn, helps you to increase your rating in the business and thus it is easy to get a well-paying job even outside your current location of operation.

Once you have been certified by the OSHA, it means that you are fully qualified to do the job. In the process of certification, you will undergo the various training; this, therefore, give you confidence when operating the forklift as you will have the feeling of being qualified and this will help you decide while calm.

There are dentists that specialize in various groups like the case of pediatric dentists and the kids. Family dentists, on the other hand, are more of general nature. They can deal with any patient regardless of age or defect. That said, you can guess that family dentists offer a wide range of services. Almost any service that is demanded out there can be provided by the family dentist. It can be cosmetic, preventative or curative. Let’s get into details hereof with examples of services to expect.

Routine exams

You don’t have to be sick or suffer pain to visit a family dentist. The same way you keep visiting your friends and family is the same way you should visit the dentist’s office. In fact, you should start missing them if you are yet to see them after a while. Routine examinations are not only necessary but super helpful. That is because most of the dentist defects are hard to retrieve. Once you have dental cavities, for example, the real tooth will be gone, and you can only receive artificial treatments. Diagnostic checks include x-rays, professional cleanings, and fillings. Any problem with the gums, teeth or any other oral structures is revealed and treated at the young stages before they become a menace.

Dental bonding

Any teeth can crack, get stained or be chipped. That is a defect you can expect for kids and adults alike. However, kids are more prone to such defects due to the minor accidents they might be engaged in during their childhood. The white materials are applied to cover the teeth as a cosmetic treatment to make the teeth look good rather than exposing the defects to the public. Your kid or maybe you will have a better and lovely smile than before.

Tooth reshaping

Not all teeth develop as they should. After your kid loses the milk teeth, the permanent teeth will show up. Depending on how the first teeth are removed, the new teeth can adapt almost any shape. If you are concerned about the misaligned teeth, the family dentist can help you. They use various techniques to make disorderly teeth appear lovely and natural. These techniques include dental bonding, veneers, and crowns. This is a service that helps the kids as well as adults. It is better to have the dental services for orthodontics applied at a young stage for the teeth to adopt the new shape.

Teeth whitening

Within a short duration, your kid’s teeth can be discolored. Over time, even your teeth can appear yellow or brown. Restoring the natural white color of your teeth is not impossible. Family dentists can help turn your situation around. They have a wide range of in-office or out-office procedures that they can recommend depending on your needs.

Expect any dental service from the dentist Mission At no circumstance will they say that they are not trained for whatever service you seek from them.

Let all your digital marketing go to waste. The objective of every business is to increase the sales base. Your digital campaign will cost you some money for sure. The money invested should yield ten times and over. To do that, you need not be excited by the heavy traffic you receive but be concerned with how many of those are converting to become real clients. All of those who visit are potential clients. The fact that they are interested in knowing what you have to offer at your site explains their motives. If you receive minimal conversions, then you are in trouble. However, you can turn things around with these tips.

Work towards having a simple landing page that can be easy to use. What may be simple to a digital marketing expert may not be simple in the eyes of the clients. Ensure you do enough research to determine what clients refer to as simple. The lesser the hassles when using your site, the more people will stick to your brand. Issues of accessibility, compatibility with all devices and browsers together with general usability needs to be streamlined. Loading speed is another you can’t afford to neglect.

Your headline can stand in your way to success, according to SEO Los Angeles GO You need to ensure that it is short and attractive giving clear details of what is expected of the traffic. Remember that the headline is the first thing that the traffic will see. If it is something they don’t like, you know what they will do. Don’t even try to use gimmicks or clinches. These will only deliver failure. Modern generations are alert. They don’t fall for silly traps. You can simply solve things out by using a clear language that is short and straightforward.

Just telling the truth makes you stand out as a trustworthy business. Don’t indicate that there are present products yet they are out of stock. Simple things can build you a stronger reputation that attracts more customers. Anything that you think the Vancouver SEO Agency traffic needs to know should be put in their domain.

Once on your site, there are those who will quit and those who will make purchases. You need to understand why some left. If you can find a way to humbly request Juiced SEO of Seattle to give the reasons in a simple way as A and B, the better. You can then realize where you made the mistake and improve on it.

Learning a language is very advantageous whether you are looking to become a better communicator or looking to settle in Korea or just do business better with Korean counterparts. To some learning, a language is very difficult especially when they can communicate through a translator and when the time is an issue. However, they are some people who are looking to learn Korean and hence the need to find a good Korean language school. Here are some of the tips you can use to find the best Korean language school since not all schools are made equal.

Advertisements ? most credible language schools will ensure that they have their services advertised to the public. This usually happens when they have intakes for their schools which happens at the start of every semester. Advertisements can be made using pamphlets, like online ads, in the local dairies and the media and so forth. Such advertisements will provide you with information on the school and the courses that they offer.

Online ? most credible have websites and blogs that you can be able to access. The websites are general providing you information on where the school is, how long they have been in business, what courses they offer, the kind of study modes that they have and all other such relevant information that you might need to know. A website might tell you so much about the school. Do they have pictures showing the school? Have they presented their contact information on the school? Does the website have a testimonial page where the students have given their testimonials? Do they have a sign-up and sign in the page where students can access their accounts? If they have all these, then you can be assured that you are dealing with a credible Korean language school.

Personal visit ? it is very important to pay a visit to the school yourself. While there you can be able to ask the students around there how the school is. Visit the offices and ask for a brochure having some of the information you might need to know. Also, ask any pertinent questions you might have. Ask if you could be given a tour of the school so that you can be able to see what the school has to offer. Check for the most important amenities that you expect from a school, for instance, a library and the classrooms.

A good Hana Korean School offers small classes with few students so that the teacher can be able to handle the students with ease. The school should also be easily accessible and should offer flexible payment options or even scholarships for their students.

Project software has become an in thing in many organizations in the world this is exclusive because their use makes the organization organized thus making the work of monitoring the activities of everyone very easily. In an organization of very many people is very hard for someone to monitor the activities of each worker thus making some of the workers lag behind in their work. What the projects does is to help in monitoring and managing how a project is g0ing. This article, therefore, will dwell on the benefits you get in case you use this software in managing a project or work.

The creative-brief samples software works in a way that you can log into it and delegate tasks to different workers according to their strong points. This is especially very important in that the progress of the one delegated duties can be monitored using the same software. This, therefore, makes the thing with delegating duties to so many people very easy and makes or forces the workers to deliver thus the work is done effectively. Once you have delegated the duties the worker in whose account you delegated duties to will receive the notification via his or her phone in real time using a text or a mail notifying him or her what he will do.

In the project management software, you as a leader of the team can put in the expected date of completion of the project plus the date of starting the project. Therefore, your workers can regularly be reminded the date they are supposed to have completed the work, which makes it very effective in a beating of deadlines. The software, therefore, eases your work of reminding people now and then the time that they are expected to give completed their work, which can be very tiring to you as a leader. The software, therefore, enables the smooth running of the project at hand easing the process of management.

The software has a place where workers fill their progress of the project in their areas of delegation; the, therefore, helps in monitoring how the project is continuing thus making it easy to speed up or slow down the process of the project running. The software tells you what has been completed and what has not been plus the person who has completed his work, which helps, motivates the others to continue to speed up doing the work. This, therefore, makes the progress of the project to go on as planned and to finish in good time. Project management software is a great tool in case you are looking to manage your projects safely and effectively.

When it?s about common body disorders, one is at liberty to go to any clinic including the small dispensaries. When it gets to the serious levels such as surgeries, then you have to limit your options. This is necessary as not all surgeons are to be trusted. The eyes are super delicate. Some people even believe that eye disorders are irreversible. You require an eye surgeon who knows what he/she is doing. Competence and experience must come to play. There are the obvious recommendations that you are going to get. But consider exploring different options. This is important to get another opinion and a perspective from which you can compare different clinics. Here are tips to follow.

Be wary of 100% guarantees

There are some clinics that are manipulative. They want to attract as many clients as possible. That said, they are willing to do anything as long as clients keep flowing into their offices. Some go the route of promising 100%cure. However, we all know that there is nothing like that. We agree that LASIK is an effective procedure. Many have been cured in its name. However, one who guarantees 100% vision after the surgery is not the right surgeon. That is because it is not something that can be humanly guaranteed. Chances that are these people are behind your money.

Experience

It is a good thing to look at the qualifications of the surgeon about his/her papers. However, you need additional guarantees about track record. Has the surgeon dealt with your kind of eye disorder before? And if yes, where is the evidence? How do the results compare to other clinics? Laser surgery requires perfect competence and vast experience.

Involvement

An eye surgery clinic that suits you engages you every step of the way. It starts with the pre-surgery preparations, through the actual surgery and even follow-ups after the surgery. It is not something to be done in a hurry. The surgeon needs to create the bond between himself/herself and the clients. This helps to boost confidence in the patients especially those likely to freak out. The Singapore surgeon must be available to the clients at any time. It does not create the best picture for a surgeon to leave certain tasks to the clinic assistants. Be sure that you will get the individual attention you deserve.

Accreditation

To be sure of quality service, ask whether the top SG lasik surgery clinic is accredited. An accredited clinic tells a lot. It shows that it has met the required threshold that is convincing even to the national standards. Quality assurance is vital.

The cost is the other factor that you need to table. Of course, you can?t undergo surgery if your wallet is not equal to the set quota. This is a life-changing decision, however, and money should not be the sole basis for your decision.

For many students who want to venture into cosmetology, joining a beauty school is one of how they can be able to turn their passion and creativity into a solid career. When placed in the right environment, then you will be surprised just how much you are going to be able to learn. You will have the opportunity to learn how to own your salon, work as a beauty sales professional and even learn how to style and do hair properly. The best thing about all this is that all the mentioned skills and much more can be learned in a single program.

Even though working and learning within the beauty industry may sound pretty exciting and fun, one of the biggest problems that many people have is that they do not know where to start. For you to be able to understand better what the entire process is all about, there are some things to consider and know about the beauty industry and career path before you make the final decision of joining a beauty school.

All students should take the time to research and fully understand the career outcomes that are expected in the beauty industry before you start any classes. In some cases, you will find that most of the students who join beauty schools are either fresh from high school or have been in college for either one of two years. By doing your research, you will be able to find a positive career outlook at also be sure that this is what you want for yourself. As mentioned, if you are looking to join a beauty school or if this is your passion, then you should be sure that the career outlook for this industry is positive.

Before you settle on joining a beauty school, it is important for you first to get to know the different career options that you have especially if you are graduating from a previous program that you were doing. When it comes to the cosmetology program, you are going to pursue a career that will range from being a hair stylist to owning your very own salon among other things. This can make the classes that you are going to take to be very exciting and fun. All you need to do is to make sure that this is what you want.

It is a really good idea for you to get to know the basics of Pilate’s certifications before you finally decide to do a Pilates certification program. When it comes to this kind of certification, they are mainly divided into two which are comprehensive Pilate’s certification and Pilates mat certification. Both types of certifications tend to look at all the Pilates equipment that is going to be used. When you go beyond the two mentioned basic Pilates certification, you are going to find that there is also professional certification as well as different levels of advanced training which have been made available for those people who would like to specialize in specific kinds of sports or other rehabilitative aspects that are related to Pilates.

This type of Pilates training is normally made available to those students who have been able to demonstrate that they have a kind of basic proficiency whenever they are in class. This is mainly because it has been recommended that before one can take a teacher training class, you need to have studied Pilates for a given amount of time. However, there are those Pilates certification bodies that may not require that you have a previous Pilates experience before you can be able to take an exam.

When you decide to take this type of certification, you are going to find that all your training is going to cover different basic mat exercises which will go hand in hand with different ways in which you can be able to modify them when you are in different populations or scenarios. When you are preparing for the mat instructor examination, you should expect to have both a written test as well as a teaching demonstration. This type of Pilate certification may cost you between $100 and $300. You simply need to look for a certification body that is offering a package that you can be able to afford easily.

This type of certification is considered to be more elaborate compared to the mat instructor certification program. For you to be able to undertake this type of certification, you need to have at least completed not less than a year in Pilates studies which in some cases may include having private lessons. You are also going to be required to have completed a mat training program as well.

When you are at this level, you are going to have to undertake a basic education in physiology and anatomy as well as the Pilates evolution not forgetting the history of Pilates. Each of these certification programs tends to vary widely since each of them has their designs and structures.

THE STORY:
When I was 13 we lived in Kalama Valley, less than a mile from Sandy Beach on Oahu’s southwest shore. Sometimes late at night the rumble of the surf would put me to sleep, other times it was the sound of two engines screaming down Kalaniana’ole Highway next to Sandy’s. Some ten years later it would be me down there in a little deuce three-window, unofficially marking the last, Sandy Beach drag race.

My deuce was chopped 4″ inches, channeled six over the frame and had no fenders, which gave cops lots of reasons to pull me over.

I ran a 302 small block that came out of a ’69 Z-28 Camaro, dropped in a 350 stroker crank and topped it off with a 750 Holley. An Erson 550 lift, 320 duration cam gave it a raunchy beat at idle but at 8000 rpm the valves banged the 12.5 to 1 Speed Pro pistons so I had the slug’s fly-cut to 0.30. I backed it all up with a Muncie 4-speed hooked to a ’55 Chevy pumpkin stuffed with 4:56 gears.

In spite of my limited hi-performance knowledge however, street racing wasn’t my thing. I never really liked it even as a spectator. My passion was makin’ Model A Fords and `32 coupes into stuff that twinkled. And just hanging out at the old Hawaii Kai Chevron with a shiny street rod parked under the canopy lights couldn’t have thrilled me more. But reminiscent to an old spaghetti western, guys kept coming from around the Island looking for me and a maroon painted deuce to race with. One guy in particular had a lightning fast VW Bug nicknamed the Flea.

By November 1982 I had a pretty good reputation for dragin’ at Sandy’s and decided to try a new go-fast item called nitrous oxide. Back then the kits were pretty pricey for a backyard rodder like me so I opt to borrow one. On Thanksgiving afternoon I scored a setup from Guy Swift, a good friend who had a notorious hot rod reputation. Up until then I had no real clear picture of a nitrous system. All I heard was that if you hooked it up correctly and pressed a button placed somewhere on your shifter you’d go faster. Much faster. And it really scared the hell out of me when I eventually did.

Guy briefly showed me how to operate the NOS and mentioned that it was a cheater kit. That meant no regulator so you had to guess the amount of nitrous to use. It also meant that it was important you had the fuel-to-nitrous ratio exactly right otherwise you’d blow the whole thing up including yourself.

At 8 pm I was at Hawaii Kai Chevron installing the kit and by 10 pm I was finished. I knew during an HPD shift-change there would be no patrols at Sandy’s for at least a half hour – between 10:30 and 11:00. That’s when I’d go for my test run.

I turned onto the highway, leaving the gas station behind, and cruised past Hanauma Bay to the Blow Hole lookout. When I got close enough to see the beach I noticed there were hundreds of folks between both entrances to Sandy’s. Turns out they heard someone from town would be challenging me to a race.

I slowly pulled into the parking lot hoping to see anyone I knew. I hadn’t completely stopped when a local guy walked up to my window and said, “brah, my boy like race you.” I was trying hard to appear cool when I asked “who’s your boy?” Again, he said his boy wanted to race me but this time he pointed up at the highway. It was that fast Volkswagen bug I had been hearing about; the Flea.

I gave him a nod and reached for the NOS bottle. I placed it between my legs and cracked open the valve. At that moment I couldn’t remember what Guy said about blowing up, but from where I was, I could hear the bug loud and clear, Whoop! Whoop! While the crowed shouted “race em! race em!” I drove up to the line, facing in the direction of Waimanalo.

Someone who I hadn’t seen before came up and stood between my coupe, in the right lane, and the Flea in the suicide lane. He held out a lighter, paused and seconds later, flicked it. The bug took off first, that’s when I nailed it. I knew Volkswagen’s were slow out of the hole but this one sure seemed faster.

I wound out first gear then slammed it into second. The Flea was right with me, side by side. I thought now would be a good time for the NOS so I pressed the button while power-shifting into third. That made it possible to pull away but I misjudged the amount of boost the nitrous would give me, and found myself pressing and releasing the button several times. With every blast of nitrous, my coupe became harder to handle. It was fishtailing all over the place but the Flea stayed with me, eye to eye.

Then all hell broke loose. A few hundred feet ahead someone pulled out in front of me from the sixty or so parked cars that lined the highway. All I saw were rapidly approaching taillights. An instant later a passenger car pulled out from Kalama Valley and turned towards the Flea in the left lane. I tried to slow to let the bug get in front of me, avoiding a sure head on collision, but the bug was runnin’ slicks and we were goin’ way too fast. The car went by but it was too late for the Flea. I watched as his slicks broke from the asphalt when he changed lanes. He swerved five or six times before whipping back over to the left, rolled once or twice, and ended right-side-up in a drainage ditch.

In the confusion, people began to scatter. Some were yelling, “Cops!” I slowed, turned my coupe around and rolled up beside the Flea. He was standing next to his mangled bug holding his arm in a blood soaked rag. I asked if he wanted to go to a nearby hospital but he said he had friends on the way and that I should make my coupe disappear because the police were coming.

There were so many cars flying out of Sandy’s that circling back, this time in the direction of my house would be impossible. I had to turn around at Blow Hole. When I reached the lookout I was surrounded by seven cop cars.

I instantly recognized one of them; a sergeant I knew from hanging out at Chevron. He peered through his window and asked if I had been racing, then shook his head and told me to go home. He was letting me go! Sgt. Carlos waved his hand signaling me to go first, while all seven of them followed towards the beach. They knew where I lived, and they knew I had to go back that way to Kalama Valley.

As I slowly rumbled past Sandy’s it looked strangely deserted. All that remained was a windswept salt spray coming from the pounding surf.

No one ever raced again at Sandy’s after that night, at least nothing really worth talking about anyway. But stories of the Flea and a deuce from Hawaii Kai would linger for years.

22 years later I went to a car show at the Blaisdell and while taking pictures, a guy walked up to me and said, “Brah, my friend like meet you.” “Who’s your friend?” I replied with a gentle smile. He said come with me; my friend wants to meet you. It was Joe Yu, the Flea. We talked and took pictures. Today, he’s around 60 or so, runnin’ a charter fishing company out of Kewalo Basin in Honolulu.

I went on to build four more street rods after that Thanksgiving night. Then six years ago I moved to Oregon where I watch the rain fall and now punch out old racing stories for my online magazine, HonoluluStreets.com.